david in sweden

and just WHO are..." every other team" buying? The transfer window opened yesterday, and I don't see any big signings for any Prem side.yet I suppose You know that no club can but between September and December?.. if they are "sitting on their asses"...then like us...it's in frustration...but if we are having the same conversation on January31st, we'll have something to complain about

Agreed, but I think in the whole scheme of things ..that's meant to be Jay Rod (?). Without the type of service that Pelle got from Tadic last season, he's only a shadow of his former self, and has been " found out " by many Prem. defences. He may well stay (whilst Koeman is manager), but it would be a daring move to sell him to an Italian club for " big money " in the summer, if he does well in the Euros.

very funny ..but be careful with humourously intelligent quips on here. It suggests that you might have read a book sometime...(puts you in a minority).

my thoughts also.....

I think it's more of an issue of stamina. I wrote (on another thread) reminding people that some midfielders can cover almost 10,000 metres in a game, as well as sprinting, tackling and passing the ball on numerous times. This is considerably more than other positions (CB or FB - even wingers) who are less involved in the game). Adam Lallana came in for a lot of criticism from many on here (for several reasons), but no-one could fault his work rate, or say he didn't put in his shift over 60/75 mins. Why do so many people think that someone is " less of a player " because they don't play out 95 mins. every game?... Besides the " bench players " also need to get game-time for those occasions when they must play, in occasions of injury, or suspension. Doing OK in training isn't the same.

????? Was Martina solely responsible for WHam's first goal?...I don't think so....and surely it's everyone's job to cover each other-especially in defence. Looking back at the Spurs game, we had three defenders ball-watching, whilst Harry Kane made scoring his goal look like a stroll in the park. Should we excuse them for that ?... or put it down to bad luck that they all made basic errors that Ronald Koeman called " amateur ".

wrong club?, wrong move? wrong job?....... During a long working career in two countries, I had several different employers, more than a dozen different workplaces and although most of it worked out in the end, there were more than a few teething troubles. It may be you've had similar experiences...even a bad holiday can remain in the memory for a long time. Can it really be easier / better for footballers. Many players move for promotion and more money, only to find that after being a big fish in a small pool, they "drown in the Premier Ocean". (excuse the literary connotation). Reading many comments, on here and other sites - it strikes me that many people think that a big transfer fee and a massive salary increase is the answer to all football problems.... when in fact it often only creates newer problems. Looking back on my move to Sweden, I found; a new home in a new country, new culture, new employment sector, new language ..and in my case - a new wife, were all factors that when coming together created psychological issues that you cannot imagine beforehand... especially after being born and raised in So'ton. The next time we buy a player for a £ few million...or (if so) a new club transfer fee ...let's remember that even considering all the above........ ...the Premier League is one of the most uncompromsing workplaces in the footballing world, and adapting to it isn't just turning up for training on Mondays. Uprooting yourself for new possibilities can take a longer time of adjustment, and even a fat bank balance isn't the answer to every problem. Maybe we should be a more patient, and a bit less critical of some newcomers at times. Even our long-standing players aren't totally free of faults every week.

Thanks for the update Vectis.....I noticed Stephens was a bench regular a while back, but in all fairness 'Boro seem to be better than they have for several years back, so you can't blame their manager for staying with his " tried and tested " players, so Jack didn't get a look in. Problem back at SFC is that the U21's have only played about 4 games in the last 3 months, and that's hardly the way for any of them to get into the First team squad. I did see Jack play in the 'Boro cup game v. Man U and he looked quite good. I'm trying to put the memory of that wonder goal out of my mind in assessing Martina, and tbf. we must admit that very few players in the recent past seem to have hit the ground running and needed a run of games to find their feet. Of course, Martina isn't Prem. class, but until he's responsible for some of the " Yoshida type errors that lead to goals", it's a bit unfair to condemn him straight away. I quite like Yoshida as a CB or LB,( he even has the 3 shirt), but the fact that he only gets picked for RB seriously harms his reputation, as he seems very poor there. I vividly recall that Clyne's first few Prem. games were an absolute nightmare, and he gave away several goals - if not an own goal (?)too. I don't expect to see Martina vying for the RB spot regularly, but until we see he drops a real clanger - IMO - the jury is still out.

Well I think that we've only bought ONE defender from the Dutch League, namely Martina, and he's only been fielded twice in the Prem. so far. Even without his wonder goal, he didn't do so badly. Our other Dutch defender van Dijk didn't come directly from Eredivisie, and is one of our best signings. The most likely Academy candidates for defensive duties are McCarthy, and Turnbull who are both getting good game-time in L1/L2, and Stephens who unfortunately gets little chance to play in a very good Middlesboro side who are at the top of the Championship. Loan outs are good for a players' development, and the only player who really looked good at " Academy age" was Luke Shaw, who to be fair was quite outstanding and picking him ahead of Danny Fox was a " no-brainer " at the time.

theoretically correct, but he made just 2 starts (and was later subbed), made 18 rather short sub.apps.....scored 1 goal (in the 97th minute of a game we had already won), and another late on in an FA Cup game against low-level opposition..Yeovil. This ...all at a time when we had major injury problems and with Lambert (off form). In reality, Pochettino had little choice other than to play him.There was no-one else. Yes he has played in the Prem. but to rate him as a Prem. player is stretching credulity a bit too much. I really hope he comes good, but he has a long way to go before he gets another chance like that.

1)IF NC "knew" his football or not, and SFC were to employ him, then Cortese should've looked at Osvaldo's discipinary record before OK-ing a signing of that magnitude. 2) IF Pochettino " thought he knew the player" , and could handle him, then he grossly over-estimated his own abilities to rehabilitate Osvaldo. A total fiasco. Either way it cost Saints the most..the fee plus how many years contract (?) that we had to pay off. Other clubs who 've employed him since have seen the light.

Good to hear your evaluation of those Saints who've played in Dutch sides, but not all players turn out well just because they play in "big clubs " .Example Man U. The number of good players who come through any club's Academy and make it to the first team is very low. Saints have done remarkably well in recent years. Looking at other Prem. clubs the number of players who made it through to the first team is also very low. Goalkeepers, and central defenders are even lower. If it was just a case of the coach giving players a pill and sending them to bed early we might do better, but not everyone makes it. Don't just blame Saints' Academy.

agreed, but I think that Peter Crouch put on a bit of weight .....even after his time with us. Always thought Crouch looked deceptively slow because of his height, until he started to run when his enormous stride pattern gave him an advantage over defenders. Be interesting to see what Sam looks like (in play), when he returns.

Schneiderlin and Clyne were ....argueably ..the "best" of the players we've lost in the last 2 years. They will be hard to replace, but looking back neither of them looked like Prem. class - when we got back-up in 2012. It took time to develop to that level, and some of our " newer arrivals " have barely had a dozen starts yet. Injuries and/or "bench time" don't help compared with consistancy of playing every week, instead of coming on in the last 15 mins. Martina will only improve with real game-time, if he's to live up to the reputation of " his wonder goal ". There are several factors why we managed to get so high in the table early on last season....with an easier fixture list being the major one. Equally ..after the long term absence of Jay Rod, Pelle's excessive "dry spell", Forster's injury and a lack of " an experienced bench " it brought us down a level. As for getting 7th place again this season....Personally, I'll be glad if we " stabilise " results a bit and finish in the top half of the table.

1)....I think you'll find that all those players you mentioned have had their share of injuries, but the key is their style of play. You didn't see Gerrard charging up the pitch every 5 minutes but he had good distrubtion and passing skills. Likewise Fabregas and Cazorla pick their times to make a run or create chances, and look good at it. The late Alan Ball (R.I.P.)when still playing for Saints age 35, said he played the ball across the pitch "it was less distance to run" He had young players to run for him. 2)..Clasie and Ramirez have (reputedly) "good passing skills" - a necessary factor for midfielders, but lack physical strength in the same way as Wanyama or Romeu. MLT said (in interview) that he didn't like to run, or train, and "as soon as they took the ball away - he lost interest". Given the ball... he could be world-class. 3) True. good skills are necessary, but I wonder if Clasie will be able to cope with the " more physical style " of some Prem. defenders. I fully understand why he didn't play on Monday, as players like Tomkins and Collins (who was lucky to escape a red card on a couple of occasions) are not unusual in some Prem. defences.

IMO ......the "we" was Nicola Cortese, who seemingly gave Pochettino the OK to buy one of his former players. Apparantly, Dani was a bit of a handful as a youngster, but MP thought he could rehabilitate him. Think it shows pretty poor judgement on both their parts. Must have been in the days before "The Black Box" was fully introduced, I really can't see Osvaldo turning up as a " player to buy " on that system.....or ?

On Saturday .......he looked like Superman, but yesterday ....he was more like the Invisible Man ......

After the Arsenal game, Shane said that he'd never felt so tired after a game. Two games in less than 48 hours ...no wonder he looked like that.

4-0 against Arsenal ?....what does it take to make you happy ?

maybe he'll come back looking like Peter Crouch .....

WE HAVE NOW !

sadly there's nothing new about that ...How often do you see a paper with a blank space.... because there was " no news "?

I think the result of this one will depend not just on who RK starts with, but who he uses off the bench for the second half.

I still think he hasn't had the chance to perform, although I can't see him even as a temporary replacement for any of the regulars. He surely has a " proper role" to play, but playing someone out of their best position has been the death knell of many a promising career.

you obviously have Ronald's ear on this one Charlie, but the question remains the same......if he plays regularly who do you drop ?